Uefa says 'integrity of game at stake' after Fifa's decision to overturn US star's red card ban

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Fifa decision on Balogun ban 'incomprehensible' - Uefa Figure caption, 'Sportsmanship in question' after decision to suspend Balogun red cardByDale Johnson Football issues correspondentPublished1 hour agoUefa has strongly criticised Fifa's shock decision not to uphold Folarin Balogun's automatic ban at this World Cup, calling it "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable". United States striker Balogun, who was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, should have served a suspension for the last-16 tie against Belgium (Tuesday 01:00 BST). But Fifa opted not to enforce an immediate sanction on the 25-year-old, meaning the co-hosts' leading goalscorer will be available to play.

Uefa said that intervening to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament "crossed a red line". Of the 188 other red cards at the World Cup, only one other player has escaped a suspension. That was Brazil's Garrincha in 1962, which was before automatic bans were in place and it was shrouded in allegations of political interference.

The Details

, externalThe 's US media partner CBS News has confirmed that Balogun's reinstatement came after US president Donald Trump called Fifa president Gianni Infantino on Thursday and spoke about the suspension. On Sunday, President Trump thanked Fifa for "reversing a great injustice". Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who was replaced by Infantino in 2016 after a corruption scandal, wrote on X that "football must never become a playground for political power".

Uefa said that an automatic suspension of one match "is not a discretionary option" and it is "a principle embedded in regulations". "When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined," Uefa said in a statement. "Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.

"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision. " Figure caption, Tuchel asks Trump to overturn Quansah red cardTuchel - Where does this end? England coach Thomas Tuchel says there is total confusion over the disciplinary process at the World Cup after the Balogun decision.

What Experts Say

With Jarell Quansah sent off in England's 3-2 win over Mexico, Tuchel was asked if he would be petitioning Fifa to get the defender's ban cancelled before Saturday's quarter-final against Norway (22:00 BST). "Where does this start and where does this end now? "Can we overturn it or not overturn it?

"Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that. "Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card?

Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? I don't have an answer.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.